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Biomedical subjects

J Mäkinen

Publications and source records attributed to J Mäkinen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of a novel strip test, GenoType Mycobacterium CM/AS, for species identification of mycobacterial cultures.

A novel DNA strip assay, GenoType Mycobacterium AS, was evaluated for its ability to identify 219 mycobacterial isolates in combination with the GenoType Mycobacterium CM assay. The results were compared with those obtained by conventional 16S rDNA sequencing. The Genotype test correlated well (96%) with sequencing. However, with the CM kit alone, it was possible to identify most (88%) of the isolates found in clinical specimens, and the AS kit provided very little additional information.

DNA, Bacterial↗

Prospective evaluation of the GenoType assay for routine identification of mycobacteria.

In order to evaluate the proficiency of the GenoType Mycobacteria strip hybridization assay (Hain Lifescience, Nehren, Germany) for the routine identification of mycobacteria, the assay was used to identify 178 clinical isolates during a 6-month prospective study. The GenoType results were compared to the identification results obtained with AccuProbe (GenProbe, San Diego, CA, USA) or 16S rDNA sequencing, and an overall agreement of 89.3% between GenoType and the two reference methods was reached. The GenoType assay is, thus, a rapid and reliable method for the identification of clinically important mycobacteria, and it is well suited for use in a routine laboratory.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Life situation of spinal cord-injured persons in Central Finland.

STUDY DESIGN: Individual interview and questionnaire of a regional spinal cord-injured (SCI) population. OBJECTIVE: Local health care centres are mainly responsible for the SCI patients health care and rehabilitation after initial hospitalization in Finland. The purpose of the present study was to study aspects of the SCI patients life situation and their opinion of the health care services after 1 year since the injury. SETTING: Regional study in Central Finland. METHODS: Subjects were individually interviewed in their homes using a semi-structured questionnaire, the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: The female/male ratio was 1:4. The mean age at the time of injury was 34 years in female and 40 in male. Traffic accidents accounted for 46% of the injuries. In all, 48 subjects (63%) used electrical or manual wheelchair or both. Most subjects regarded their living conditions as good having enough personal assistance in their everyday life. Only 10% of the subjects were employed. Half of the subjects had had out-patient physiotherapy, but no other therapies after 1 year since the injury. More than half of the subjects were dissatisfied with the current health care services. Many had experienced complications after the initial hospitalization, especially urinary tract infections, decubitus ulcers and neurogenic-type pain. FIM classified well according to the disability groups. The motor complete tetraplegic group had the lowest mean scores (63) and the recovered group the highest ones (122). There was no association between the FIM and the BDI results. There was a correlation between the BDI and the subject's age at the time of the injury and the year of the injury. The older the subjects were when injured, the higher were the BDI scores, that is, they had more depressive symptoms. Those injured in the 1990s had the highest BDI scores. Nearly one-third of the subjects had mild, moderate or severe depression. CONCLUSIONS: The reported medical complications, depression and dissatisfaction with the health care services support a life-long care for SCI patients in Jyväskylä Central hospital, not in the local health care centres. The psychological services, for example, prevention and treatment of depression, in particular, require more attention.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Reducing the risk of systemic embolization during gynecologic laparoscopy--effect of volume preload.

BACKGROUND: About 27% of the population is known to have a patent foramen ovale. It can be opened if the left atrial pressure is less than the right atrial pressure. This pressure reversal has been reported during gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. The present paper describes with help of transesophageal echocardiography the pressure relationship between the atria during laparoscopic surgery and the effect of volume preload. METHODS: Twenty-one gynecologic ASA 1-3 patients were included in this open study. The movement of interatrial septum was monitored with transesophageal echocardiography during the procedure. If the septum movement was to the left, the patient was given 500 mL hydroxyethyl starch to increase the filling pressures. RESULTS: After induction, the mobile part of foramen ovale rounded to the right in 15 patients but six patients showed movement to the left. After pneumoperitoneum and head-down tilt, one patient of the six returned to normal but eight additional patients showed movement to the left. These 13 patients had a filling infusion of 500 mL hydroxyethyl starch. The movement was normalized in 12 patients. We saw echogenic particles coming from the inferior caval vein in every patient. Only one patient had very small atrial septal defects and no embolic complications. CONCLUSION: The head-down tilt and pneumoperitoneum had a more negative influence on the filling of the left side than on the filling of the right side of the heart. The pressure reversal occurs in systole during expiration of mechanical ventilation. The infusion of volume helps to normalize the pressure relationship and to diminish the embolic risk.

Adult↗

Rigidity transition in two-dimensional random fiber networks.

Rigidity percolation is analyzed in two-dimensional random fibrous networks. The model consists of central forces between the adjacent crossing points of the fibers. Two strategies are used to incorporate rigidity: adding extra constraints between second-nearest crossing points with a probability p(sn), and "welding" individual crossing points by adding there four additional constraints with a probability p(weld), and thus fixing the angles between the fibers. These additional constraints will make the model rigid at a critical probability p(sn)=p(sn)(c) and p(weld)=p(weld)(c), respectively. Accurate estimates are given for the transition thresholds and for some of the associated critical exponents. The transition is found in both cases to be in the same universality class as that of the two-dimensional central-force rigidity percolation in diluted lattices.

Journal Article↗

Morbidity of 10 110 hysterectomies by type of approach.

BACKGROUND: Since the late 1980s, the option of laparoscopic hysterectomy has raised questions about the most suitable approach to hysterectomy. METHODS: To evaluate the influence of the type of approach, in causing or avoiding certain complaints in hysterectomies a prospective nationwide study was conducted comprising all hysterectomies for benign disease performed in Finland during 1996. The primary outcomes of interest were the operation-related morbidity, common surgical details and post-operative complications. RESULTS: A total of 10 110 hysterectomies, including 5875 abdominal, 1801 vaginal and 2434 laparoscopic operations showed a low rate of overall complications, 17.2, 23.3 and 19.0% respectively. Infections were the most common complications with incidences of 10.5, 13.0 and 9.0% in the abdominal, vaginal and laparoscopic group respectively. The most severe type of haemorrhagic events occurred in 2.1, 3.1 and 2.7% in the abdominal, vaginal and laparoscopic group respectively. Ureter injuries were predominant in laparoscopic group [relative risk (RR) 7.2 compared with abdominal] whereas bowel injuries were most common in vaginal group (RR 2.5 compared with abdominal). Surgeons who had performed >30 laparoscopic hysterectomies had a significantly lower incidence of ureter and bladder injuries (0.5 and 0.8% respectively) than those who had performed < or =30 operations (2.2 and 2.0% respectively). A decreasing trend of bowel complications was also seen with increasing experience in vaginal hysterectomies. CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale observational study on hysterectomies provides novel information on operation-related morbidity of abdominal, vaginal or laparoscopic approach. The results support the importance of the experience of the surgeon in reducing severe complications, especially in laparoscopic and vaginal hysterectomies.

Adult↗

HFE haemochromatosis gene mutations in liver transplant patients.

BACKGROUND: The majority of patients with inherited haemochromatosis carry two mutant alleles of the recently discovered HFE gene. Individuals heterozygous for the HFE mutation could be predisposed to end-stage liver disease due to other causes. METHODS: The frequencies of the HFE gene mutations C282Y and H63D were determined in DNA samples obtained from 189 liver transplant patients and 225 healthy Finnish blood donors. RESULTS: 5% of the 189 liver transplant recipients were heterozygotes and 0.5% homozygotes for the C282Y mutation, while 16% were heterozygotes and 0.5% homozygotes for the H63D mutation. These figures were not increased in comparison to controls, of whom 11% were C282Y heterozygotes, 16% H63D heterozygotes and 0.9% H63D homozygotes. Among recipients with acute non-A-E hepatitis (n = 31), the frequency of the H63D allele was higher than in controls (21% versus 9.1%, P < 0.01). Perls' stain for iron in explanted liver specimens was positive in 28% of recipients with alcoholic cirrhosis, 26% of patients with acute non-A-E hepatitis and 14% in the rest of the recipients. The HFE genotypes did not correlate with the iron status. CONCLUSION: Individuals heterozygous for either the C282Y or H63D mutation of the HFE gene are not at increased risk of developing chronic end-stage liver disease. However, subjects heterozygous for the H63D mutation may have an increased risk to develop fulminant non-A-E hepatitis.

Adolescent↗

Current treatment of ectopic pregnancy.

The incidence of ectopic pregnancy showed a sharp increase in the industrialized countries in the late 1970s. This resulted in an epidemic of ectopic pregnancy in the 1980s. At present the incidence of ectopic pregnancy has levelled off or even decreased. In the meantime the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy has improved markedly, which means that the detection of this disease can take place very early in the first trimester of pregnancy. This has led to the use of more conservative treatment modalities and to a better prognosis for further pregnancies. Medical treatment, especially with methotrexate, has largely replaced the radical surgical option, and the treatment of ectopic pregnancy is most obviously moving to the direction of these conservative, medical approaches.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗

A link between the epidemic of ectopic pregnancy and the "baby-boom" cohort.

In order to demonstrate the detailed profile of the recent epidemic of ectopic pregnancy and the subsequent decrease of the disease, the authors analyzed the changes in 5-year age groups and by 5-year age cohorts in Finland. The results describe a link between the epidemic of ectopic pregnancy and the so-called "baby boom" cohort (from 1945 to 1954) in the 1970s and 1980s, when these large age groups were in their most fertile period. The authors conclude, through its risk factors, that ectopic pregnancy is strongly correlated with age and that it exemplifies how the changes caused by large age groups play a role in the rise and fall in occurrence of certain diseases.

Adolescent↗

Antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase in primary biliary cirrhosis: correlation with histology.

Antimitochondrial antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase are the hallmark of primary biliary cirrhosis. Their pathogenic role has not been proven, although antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase are bound to biliary epithelium. The aim of this study was to characterize serum IgA antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase and to evaluate their response to different treatment regimens. We also compared the level of antibodies with severity of histological lesions and the data of biochemical liver tests. Serum samples were collected at baseline and after 24 months from 61 primary biliary cirrhosis patients, whereas 23 patients were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, 20 with colchicine, and 18 with placebo. ELISA was used to detect antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase. IgA and IgG were separated with jacalin and protein-A, respectively. Capacity of immunoglobulins to inhibit enzymatic activity was detected by spectrophotometric observation of the rate of enzyme reaction. 49 (80.3%) of the 61 patients possessed IgA antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase. Significant decrease in IgA antibodies was observed only in the ursodeoxycholic acid group (p<0.05). 15 of 18 IgA preparations and all 24 IgG preparations of patients' sera were inhibitory towards pyruvate dehydrogenase (mean inhibitory percent +/-SD: 42+/-33.4% and 79+/-22.4%, respectively, at a protein concentration of 100 microg/ml). The level of serum antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase correlated with several histological parameters (fibrosis, inflammatory infiltrate), but not with biochemical parameters. Our data reveal that IgA antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase inhibit enzyme function. The correlation between antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase and histological parameters might suggest the pathogenic role of these antibodies.

Adult↗

Finnish national register of laparoscopic hysterectomies: a review and complications of 1165 operations.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic hysterectomy over a 2-year period when this new technique was introduced to several hospitals in Finland. STUDY DESIGN: A nationwide register was founded and a prospective multicenter survey of 1165 laparoscopic hysterectomies was carried out from January 1993 to December 1994. The operations were performed because of uterine fibroids (54%), menorrhagia (27%), dysmenorrhea (8%), endometriosis (2%), and other reasons (9%) by 68 gynecologists at 30 hospitals. RESULTS: The mean operation time was 132 minutes. The patients stayed in hospital for an average of 3.3 days, and the mean convalescence period was 17.9 days, half that after abdominal hysterectomy. Complications occurred in 10.2% of the procedures: infections in 5.6%, vascular complications in 1.2%, urinary tract complications in 2.7%, and bowel complications in 0.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic hysterectomy offers a short hospital stay and convalescence time to the patient, but effective teaching is imperative to minimize, in particular, the risk of urinary tract injuries.

Adult↗

Tubal patency and fertility outcome after expectant management of ectopic pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To study tubal patency and fertility outcome of patients with expectantly managed ectopic pregnancy (EP). DESIGN: A prospective study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland. PATIENT(S): Thirty patients who wanted to become pregnant again were treated successfully by expectant management of EP. INTERVENTION(S): Patients were examined with posttreatment hysterosalpingography, and they filled out a questionnaire about their subsequent pregnancies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Free passage through open lumen showing tubal patency; number of full-term pregnancies and EPs revealing relative rate of subsequent fertility. RESULT(S): A free passage through the diseased tube was seen in 93% of the cases (28 of 30). Two of the 24 patients (8.4%) who wanted to become pregnant had an obstruction in the diseased tube. One (4.2%) of them had a normal opposite tube and later had a normal pregnancy. The other (4.2%) had an obstruction in both tubes and subsequently had a repeat EP. One of the 6 patients had an EP (this patient did not want to become pregnant and did not use contraception). However, her posttreatment hysterosalpingography was normal. In total, the subsequent pregnancy rate was 88% (21 of 24), and the rate of repeat EP was 4.2% (1 of 24). CONCLUSION(S): Patients who are treated with expectant management have a good long-term fertility outcome. Spontaneous regression of EP does not lead to increased harm or damage to the tube, i.e., the risk for repeat EP is low.

Adult↗